With the arraignment yesterday in the First Special District Court of a messenger alleged to have been sent by extortioners, the Sinza Police have now secured a good clue that may lead them to arrest the actual extortionist or extortioners, who last month wrote letters to the compradore of a foreign firm demanding $10.000. The: man told the court that he was a bona fide messenger, having no direct connection. with extortioners. The hearing was postponed sine die pending further investigations.
The intended victim was Mr. Ho Len-chang, compradore of the Shing Fo Yang Hong, Avenue Edward VII, a foreign firm dealing in cocoons. On November:28, according to the prosecution, a letter was dropped into his house in Avenue Road through the back door and upon opening it Mr, Ho realized that he was being victimized by extortioners who posed as guerillas badly in need of military fees The letter alleged that Mr. Ho had. been ce-operating with the Japanese in collecting cocoons from the interior and asked him to send $10,000 io a specified place in Pootung. Since then Mr. Ho had been bombarded by telephone calls from extortioners who asked for reasons for the non-payment of the sum mentioned in their letter.
The police were then informed and several detectives were assigned to keep a watch at the Ho residence. On Sunday afternoon the accused messenger went to the Ho residence and after dropping a letter through its back door, he was about to run away when he was arrested.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.